{"id":10821,"date":"2026-08-03T10:34:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T09:34:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sasintgroup.com\/timeline\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T11:37:03","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T10:37:03","slug":"timeline","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sasintgroup.com\/en-au\/timeline\/","title":{"rendered":"Timeline"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Our History<\/h6>\n \n

SAS ceilings are Made for Generations<\/h2>\n \n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n
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 <\/div>\n 1968<\/a>\n 1980s<\/a>\n 1990s<\/a>\n 2000s<\/a>\n 2010s<\/a>\n 2020s<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n
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Origins (1968\u20131978)<\/h2>\n

SAS International’s story began in 1968<\/strong>, when Eddie McElhinney established Principle Ceilings Ltd<\/strong>, a ceiling contracting business that would become the foundation of today’s SAS International.<\/p>\n

The company became the UK market leader in the provision of acoustic ceiling solutions on a wide range of projects and also went on to establish CCF, the leading nationwide interior building products distributor.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n

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GCB Headquarters, London<\/p><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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1968<\/strong><\/td>\nFounded by Eddie McElhinney<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1977<\/strong><\/td>\nFirst major project won: CEGB Headquarters, Bristol<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1978<\/strong><\/td>\nCCF commenced trading<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1978<\/strong><\/td>\nBusiness renamed Special Acoustic Services (SAS)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n
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Expansion Through Acquisitions (1980\u20131989)<\/h2>\n

The 1980s saw aggressive expansion as SAS expanded its contracting business across the UK, invested in manufacturing capability and scaled its distribution business. SAS became a one stop shop for all things ceiling related.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Harrods,London<\/p><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Victoria Station, London<\/p><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

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1981<\/strong><\/td>\nAcquisition of Truline Ceiling Products (TCP) and entering metal ceiling manufacturing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1983<\/strong><\/td>\nAcquisition of Horace W Cullum & Manchester Slate Company<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1985<\/strong><\/td>\nAcquisition of 50% stake in Gema, metal ceiling manufacturer in Switzerland
\nSupply of metal ceilings to Lloyds of London<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1986<\/strong><\/td>\nEstablished manufacturing plant in Maybole, Ayrshire
\nSupply of metal ceilings to Broadgate, London<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1987<\/strong><\/td>\nConstruction begins on Bridgend manufacturing facility<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

This period transformed SAS from a specialist contractor into a manufacturing-led business with expertise in metal ceilings, acoustics and integrated building systems.<\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Manufacturing Scale and Internationalisation (1990\u20131999)<\/h2>\n

The 1990s established SAS as a major British manufacturer working on global projects.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Stansted Airport, London<\/p><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Chep Lap Kok, Hong Kong<\/p><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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1990<\/strong><\/td>\nBridgend factory officially opens<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1991<\/strong><\/td>\nStansted Airport, UK \u2013 the first open canopy structure connecting landside and airside<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1994<\/strong><\/td>\nSAS Contracting management buyout (renamed Astec Projects)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1996<\/strong><\/td>\nSAS joint ventured with Lindner to supply and install the Foster & Partners\u2019 designed Chek Lap Kok Airport , Hong Kong<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The opening of the Bridgend facility created the manufacturing platform that remains at the heart of SAS today and enabled the company to support increasingly large international projects.<\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Global Growth (2000\u20132009)<\/h2>\n

The 2000s saw SAS expand globally and significantly increase manufacturing capability.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Charleston Mall, Ireland<\/p><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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St Pancras International, UK<\/p><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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2002<\/strong><\/td>\nCCF sold to Travis Perkins, with profits reinvested in SAS manufacturing platform
\nSAS supplied 8 Canada Square (HSBC Tower) and 25 Canada Square (Citigroup), twin towers that redefined the London skyline and introduced 1 million sq ft of office space<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2003<\/strong><\/td>\nSAS supply Vodaphone HQ, Newbury and The Gherkin, 20 St Mary Axe<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2005<\/strong><\/td>\nSAS Ireland commences trading<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2008<\/strong><\/td>\nApollo Park plant opens and SAS diversifies into doors and partitioning<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n
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Global Brand Development (2010\u20132019)<\/h2>\n

During this decade SAS extended its international presence and delivered some of its most prestigious projects, at home and abroad.<\/p>\n

The completion of Bloomberg HQ<\/strong> became one of SAS’s flagship references and helped establish the company as a leading supplier of architectural metal ceilings for complex, high-profile developments, integrating acoustic, lighting and cooling elements in a single ceiling design.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Muscat Airport, Oman<\/p><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Bloomberg, London<\/p><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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2010<\/strong><\/td>\nDubai office opens<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2012<\/strong><\/td>\nSAS Australia opens
\nSAS supplies projects across the Middle East including King Saud University, Haramain Station and Jeddah Airport
\nSAS supplies The Shard, London
\nCompletion of the supply and install of Westfield Stratford City<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2015<\/strong><\/td>\nCompletion of\u00a0 the redevelopment of Birmingham New Street and Grand Central shopping complex<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2016<\/strong><\/td>\nSupply of Barangaroo South & International Towers, Sydney<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2017<\/strong><\/td>\nCompletion of 4 year project to supply Muscat International Airport, Oman<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2018<\/strong><\/td>\nCompletion of 5 year supply and install of Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, the single largest project ever delivered by SAS<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2019<\/strong><\/td>\nNew York office opens<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n
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Sustainability and Innovation Leadership (2020\u2013Present)<\/h2>\n

The most recent phase of SAS’s history has focused on sustainability, circularity and low-carbon construction.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Newark Liberty International Airport, New York<\/p><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Paddington Stations, London<\/p><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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2020<\/strong><\/td>\nOpening of SAS International new HQ in Reading, UK<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2021<\/strong><\/td>\nNewark Liberty Airport, USA
\nSupply all floors of highest tower in the City of London, 22 Bishopsgate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2022<\/strong><\/td>\nElizabeth Line opens with SAS systems in four stations<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2023<\/strong><\/td>\nAchieves Cradle to Cradle Bronze v4.0 certification
\nSupply Marseille Aiport and Auckland Airport<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2026<\/strong><\/td>\nAchieves Cradle to Cradle Silver v5.0 certification<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2026<\/strong><\/td>\nSupply to JP Morgan Flagship HQ, New York
\nLaunch of a new visual identity and improved digital customer experience<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"ral-colour":[],"class_list":["post-10821","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTimeline - SAS International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sasintgroup.com\/en-au\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Timeline - SAS International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sasintgroup.com\/en-au\/timeline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SAS International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-10T10:37:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sasintgroup.com\\\/en-au\\\/timeline\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sasintgroup.com\\\/en-au\\\/timeline\\\/\",\"name\":\"Timeline - 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